Hidemaro Konoe

Conductor and composer. Half-brother of politician Fumimaro and older brother of gagaku researcher Naomaro. Born in Tokyo. Dropped out of the Faculty of Letters at Tokyo Imperial University. Traveled to Europe in 1923 (Taisho 12) and studied composition and conducting under D'Andy, E. Kleiber and others. In 1925, he founded the Japan Symphony Association with Yamada Kosaku, but the following year the association split and reorganized to form the New Symphony Orchestra (the precursor to the NHK Symphony Orchestra), which he led and conducted for the next 10 years. He toured Europe and the US 12 times and conducted over 90 symphony orchestras. After World War II, he organized the Konoe Symphony Orchestra in 1952 (Showa 27), which was reorganized as the ABC Symphony Orchestra in 1956. He devoted his life to promoting Japanese orchestras, and was responsible for many of the Japanese premieres of symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler and others. In 1948, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. His composed works include the "Imperial Ceremony Symphony," and arrangements of the children's songs "Chinchin Chidori" and "Etenraku."

[Akiko Kawaguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

指揮者、作曲家。政治家文麿(ふみまろ)異母の弟、雅楽研究家直麿の兄。東京生まれ。東京帝国大学文学部中退。1923年（大正12）に渡欧し、ダンディ、E・クライバーらに作曲と指揮を学んだ。25年に山田耕筰(こうさく)と日本交響楽協会を創設するが、翌年分裂・改組して新交響楽団（NHK交響楽団の前身）を結成、以後10年間同楽団を主宰・指揮した。12回にわたり欧米に演奏旅行を試み、90余の交響楽団を指揮。第二次世界大戦後は、52年（昭和27）に近衛交響楽団（56年にABC交響楽団に改組）を組織。生涯にわたって日本のオーケストラの普及に尽力し、モーツァルト、ベートーベン、マーラーなどの交響曲の日本初演も多く手がけた。48年芸術院会員。作曲作品に『御大典交声曲』、童謡『ちんちん千鳥』、『越天楽(えてんらく)』の編曲などがある。

［川口明子］

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